Derek C. Webb AIA is the Founder and Principal of DEK Studio in Houston, TX, and has practiced architecture in Houston since 2004. Born and raised in Texas, he received a Master of Architecture and Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University in 2003. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a licensed architect in Texas and Mississippi. Derek currently serves on the Architecture Center Houston Board of Trustees as President for 2025, as well as on the ACE Mentor Houston Board of Directors, and the Rawls College of Business Advisory Committee at Texas Tech University. His professional background includes projects from public to private, encompassing areas of cultural, residential, corporate, and healthcare projects. Derek and his work have been published locally and nationally, and he is a regularly invited critic at Houston area design schools. In 2015, Derek was awarded the AIA National Young Architect Award. Derek’s work can be characterized as having a deep connection to place, memory, and an intimate relation with people. He has remained committed to a diverse body of work, taking a generalist approach to architectural practice where broad experience in project typologies and scales provides a cross-fertilization of knowledge that strengthens design at all levels.